This conlang is an exploration of the extent to which a language might evolve complexity. In this thought experiment, which admittedly is not rigorous, I start by constructing a language with a fairly complex grammar and then examine it for stability. The culture in which the language is hypothesized to evolve is a moderately isolated inland population.

Phonology:

Phonology:

(I can't get tables to copy properly, so I'm presenting the consonants in an indented structure.)

Agglutinave, with the exception of personal pronouns, which have become fusional through assimilation, and a few irregular verbs.

Nominals:

The pattern for nominals is root-gender-number-demonstrative marker-possessive pronoun-reflexivity marker-case.

There are three genders. Animates use biological gender, with unknown and mixed groups treated as neuter. Apart from the gender particles, there is no comprehensive pattern, semantically or morphologically, to other nouns.

The gender markers are:

Masc: -(a)θ-, -(a)ð-Fem: -(a)p-Neut: -(a)tw-, -(a)dw-

Voicing assimilates in masculine and neuter to the preceding consonant, with the voiceless the default. Vowels epenthesize if the root ends in a consonant other than a nasal or liquid.

There are three numbers, singular, paucal (used for groups of two to four or five), and plural:

Sing: -a-Pauc: -u-Pl: -i-

There is a distinction between animate and inanimate plurals. Inanimate plurals polarize gender, but animates do not. Mass nouns decline as plural but do not polarize.

Demonstrative markers:

Immediate: [-ka-]Proximate: [-ba-]Distant: [-za:-]

Possessive pronouns decline in the possessed according to the gender of the possessor and are mandatory regardless of whether the possessor is named:

The masculine infix assimilates to the /f/ instead of epenthesizing, resulting in gemination: [stεff-], [dɹaiff-], [jynf-], [auff-] . Similarly, the /f/ in the root assimilates to the /p/ in the feminine infix: [stεp-], [dɹaip-], [jyp-], [aup-].

1. The null is used for statives; the adjective is conjugated as a verb. Habitual aspect is used for permanent traits.

jyf-atw-u-p3d pers -neut. -pauc.- nom.

t-uʔ -daH-h-u-va-ŋ-e:stneut.- pauc.-tall-neut.-pauc.-pres.-hab.-obs.

They (mixed gender, fewer than five) are tall. (I see.)

2. [zeθ] (be) is used for exact identity. It is irregular in person, gender, and number. [zeθ] never takes a reinforcing prefix, but does require a reflexive marker on the subject. The participatory evidential marker usually will apply.